Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Today is the 47th birthday of Joss Whedon, geek icon extraordinaire. Without Whedon, the world of geekdom would have had no Buffy the Vampire Slayer, no Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and no Firefly/Serenity. The mere fact that Firefly famously had only one incompletely broadcast series on TV, yet acquired such a following that a major studio was willing to produce a feature film based on it three years later, is testament to the kind of imagination, writing, and directing talents Whedon possesses. It’s worth noting, too, that without those talents Pixar might not have the stellar position in the world of animation it possesses, as Whedon co-wrote Pixar’s first feature film — I refer to Toy Story, of course — which was widely praised for the quality of its story and dialogue.
Whedon’s talents are at this very moment being put to a much more visible test, as he works on directing The Avengers from a screenplay he wrote. Considering how mainstream comic book superhero movies have recently become, this is far and away the highest-profile project Whedon has ever undertaken, and I think it’s safe to say most geeks have a great deal more confidence that the movie will be good than they would have had with pretty much any other director/screenwriter you can name.
Whedon isn’t perfect — one look at Dollhouse will tell you that, although the series did have some great moments — but for me, at least, his name on a project automatically gives it a great deal of credibility and chance for success.
So please join all of us at GeekDad in wishing Joss Whedon a very happy birthday, and many more to come!